Read the passage and answer the questions:
Petitions of Sepoys and Images of Revolt
They gave these cartridges to the sowars (mounted soldiers) of the 3rd Light Cavalry, and ordered them to bite them; the troopers objected to it, and said that they would never bite them, for if they did, their religion and faith would be destroyed ... upon this, the British officers paraded the men of the 3 Regiments and having prepared 1,400 English soldiers, and other Battalions of European troops and Horse Artillery, surrounded them, and placing six guns before each of the infantry regiments, loaded the guns with grape and made 84 new troopers prisoners, and put them in jail with irons on them. The reason that the sowars of the Cantonment were put into jail was that we should be frightened into biting the new cartridges. On this account, we and all our country-men, having united together, have fought the British for the preservation of our faith. ...On 25 September James Outram and Henry Havelock arrived, cut through the rebel forces, and reinforced the British garrisons. Twenty days later, Colin Campbell, who was appointed as the new Commander of British forces in India, came with his forces and rescued the besieged British garrison. In British accounts, the siege of Lucknow became a story of survival, heroic resistance and the ultimate triumph of British power. Barker’s painting celebrates the moment of Campbell’s entry. At the centre of the canvas are the British heroes – Campbell, Outram and Havelock. The gestures of the hands of those around lead the spectator’s eyes towards the centre. The heroes stand on a ground that is well lit, with shadows in the foreground and the damaged Residency in the background.
The above mentioned arzi seems to be given by:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Sepoy
The passage is one of the arzis of rebel sepoys. An arzi is a petition or application.
The writers were soldiers themselves. They say that the sowars of the Cantonment were put into jail so that “we should be frightened into biting the new cartridges”. Only the sepoys were ordered to bite the cartridges, so the writers speak as sepoys; they add that “we and all our country-men” fought the British for the preservation of their faith.
Note: A same/similar question was asked in CUET (UG) in the papers below.
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
| – | 14-05 S2* 26-05 S1 | – | – | – |
* A similar question.
NCERT: Themes in Indian History Part III — Chapter 10: Rebels and the Raj (2026-27)
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